A Question Of Legitimacy

Megan and Hilzoy have locked horns over abortion. Megan:

My argument is that abortion, like slavery, is becoming in this country an issue upon which people have no reasonable political recourse.  I'll go further, and say that the process by which 7 judges enforced their consciences on the American public was itself borderline illegitimate; it was first, not in their proper job description, and second, a bad way to run a government.

Hilzoy:

If anyone who believes the government had adopted a policy that would lead to the killing of innocent people is justified in killing people to stop this, then we might as well just decide not to have a government at all. During the Bush administration, half the country would have been justified in trying to assassinate the President and members of his administration.